


Deer in the Headlights (of Love)

by saylxix



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol, Anxiety, Bad Decisions, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Pining, Slow Burn, can you tell im self projecting a ton onto martin, first day and martin already has a crush on his boss, im sorry i gave you so much anxiety, more like if s1 jon had the maturity of s5 jon, nervous martin, ooc Jon, tons of awkwardness, very slow to start but i swear i have plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25224979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saylxix/pseuds/saylxix
Summary: Martin Blackwood just wants his new boss to like him but that just feels so impossible.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 21
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

Martin Blackwood’s first day working as an archival assistant. If Martin was perfectly honest, he’d say that he was really quite anxious to begin. All he had to do was research, which was really nothing he didn’t already do at his previous position here but the thought of new management was scary. Not only was he under Elias but now Jonathan Sims, the new head archivist. He was vaguely aware of Jon when they were both researchers for the institute but they never had any reason to acknowledge each other. But now, Jon was officially his boss which was a little but weird for him to think about.

As anxiety was building up inside Martin regarding his new job, he received an email from his boss asking him to look into any suspicious activity near the Old Fishmarket Close in Edinburgh. Attached to the email was a recording of the statement read by Jon. It was definitely weird but it’s not as if Martin was willing to make a bad impression yet. As he listened to the statement, he was slightly hurt by Jon’s attitude towards him. Sure, they weren’t exactly close friends or anything but was the hostility really necessary? Martin decided it was best to let the comment go and focus on the statement at hand.

Martin couldn’t stop thinking about what sort of terrifying creatures are really out there. His imagination just sprung to life imagining all of people’s spooky encounters that don’t even get reported. As well as the ones that the victim can't report. As scary as it was, Jon didn’t even seem to believe any of it’s supernatural in any way. Martin realized that he might just be imagining things and jumping to conclusions. The guy in the statement was drunk after all, it’s entirely possible that Martin was simply letting his imagination get the best of him. He continued to toy with the idea in his head for a moment before he heard a sharp voice behind him. 

"Martin, didn’t I ask you to research disappearances in Edinburgh instead of staring off into space?” Martin instantly recognized the voice of his new boss, Jon who was standing directly behind him. He felt like a deer in headlights, it was literally the first thing he was asked to do and he already managed to fuck it up.

“Sorry, boss, I-I was just listening to the statement first, I’ll get right to it though I swear.” Martin choked out in a panic. As he turned to face his boss, he immediately noticed how attractive he was, in a stuck up, sleep deprived prick sort of way but he had to admit it was cute. He also noticed how short Jon was. It was difficult to tell before when they were both sitting down all the time but he really couldn’t have been much taller than 5’2.

“All right then, let’s get to it, shall we.” Jon said as he walked away and towards his own office.

Martin was already so frustrated in himself. It was his first day and he already thinks the boss, who already seems to hate him, is hot. His mind swarms with intrusive thoughts. He thinks that it was right of Jon to hate him, he probably knows he lied on his resume, he’s completely in the right to see him as some stupid incompetent fool who can’t do his fucking job. He rests his head in his hands for a moment and just sighs to himself. You stupid gay fuck, he thinks to himself. He then lifts his head and remembers the job he has to do.

Martin begins doing his research and loses himself in his work. He always liked how when he researched, he just forgot who he was for the short period it took him to finish an assignment. That sort of escapism was always his favorite, not only did he have a distraction from himself, but he usually had something to show for it in the end. Martin is almost done compiling his research when he feels a tap on his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. 

“Hey Martin, Sasha and I were going out to get a couple of drinks, you in?” He turns around to see his coworkers Tim and Sasha who were also hired as archival assistants. 

Martin doesn’t usually drink often but he felt like he needed it after the day he’s had. As much as he enjoys working, he couldn’t deny that it was exhausting. Besides, he liked Tim and Sasha. He didn’t really know them well but they were acquaintances who he trusted enough to drink with.

Walking into the bar, Martin’s nose burned at the strong scent of liquor. It was a small and musty bar filled with casual conversation. It wasn’t the sort of place that young people go to have fun, this bar was filled with tired and drunk people. As Tim ordered the drinks, Sasha and Martin stood to the side, idly making small talk.

“So, what do you think of the new boss?” Sasha asked nonchalantly. 

For a split second, Martin panicked, just a little but enough to be afraid. He knew she just asked to make conversation but he had to keep himself from embarrassing himself and saying something stupid. 

“I mean, he seems strict and kind of stuck up... and short,” Martin answered.

“Yeah, I wonder where he got the stick in his ass from that makes him such a prick” Sasha replied.

“Ah, I see you’re talking about our new best friend, Jonny?” Tim says, making his way back to his friends holding out drinks in his hands for them to take.

“Yeah, how much you hate him so far?” Sasha asked Tim.

"Come on, Sasha, he's not that bad, it's too early to hate him" Martin chimed in, deeply hoping nobody would see into his real thoughts.

“I don’t like him much but the pay is alright. Should be fun to mess with at least. Already seems like the sorta guy to get flustered easily.” he replies.

"Don’t tell me you’re already thinking of pranking him? You remember what happened after we tried to prank Elias. He saw it coming somehow and I’m willing to bet money that Jon’s just as weird like that. Besides, he’ll fire us if it works.” Sasha said, trying to talk some sense into Tim.

“I didn’t say prank, Sasha, I said mess with. But I think I’ll take you up on that bet sometime.” Tim said half jokingly.

They bickered for a little while but Martin kept sipping his drink. As out of place as Martin felt, he found himself relating to the random people around the room without even talking to them. These were all just tired people, just like himself. Tired people who want to forget themselves through the best means they have. He wondered for a moment if Jon drinks. He doesn’t think it’d be out of the question for him to drink but Martin decides that Jon probably works too much to let himself drink. 

After an hour or two, Martin, Tim and Sasha decide to disband and go to their respective homes. Sasha and Tim go in one direction and Martin heads for the other. It was nearing midnight and Martin didn’t like staying up past ten, maybe eleven if he was feeling rebellious. 

Martin’s apartment has never felt both so welcoming and empty at once. He doesn’t bother turning on any lights. He felt so stressed and tired he could just fall asleep where he stood. Martin walked sluggishly to his bed, took off his pants and laid in bed. He laid there for about four seconds before letting the sweet release of sleep take him away from this world, at least for a few short and blissful hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it, this is literally my first fic in years so I hope it's written ok. I know it's short but I have fun plans for later, don't worry.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly Martin’s consciousness returned to him after a night of rest. He was laying peacefully in his bed, soaking in the relaxation of just waking up on his own. Everything felt perfect. He wasn’t too cold or too warm, his weighted blanket was putting just enough pressure on him, it was already bright outside. Everything was- wait a minute. Martin jolted up immediately and checked his phone for the time. It was already 10:42 AM and he was supposed to be in the institute by 9. 

As he rushed to put on his work clothes, his mind was racing trying to remember what happened last night to make him sleep in. Then he remembered, he went out for drinks with Sasha and Tim. Before he could get frustrated with them he remembered Jon. Shit, he thought to himself. He knew just how pissed Jon will be when he saw how late he is. It’s his second day of work and he’s making the worst first impressions.

Usually, Martin would walk to work but he decided to drive before he could be any later. He cursed himself out for the whole two minute drive. How was he going to explain this to Jon? Would he even have to explain? He couldn’t stop thinking about how Jon would never see him as a decent employee. Would he even be an employee at all? Jon wouldn’t fire him over this, right? 

Martin clenched his jaw as he walked into the institute, just waiting for the worst to happen. He passed by Jon’s office deeply hoping he wouldn’t notice him walking by. Unfortunately, Martin has the worst luck.

“Martin, you’re late. Why is that?” 

Jon’s voice filled him with dread from inside his office. He wishes he could just disappear into thin air, but he was no wizard and he was painfully aware of how trapped he was in the conversation

“Oh, well er, I just overslept is all.” Martin replies, standing in the doorway.

“That’s it, you say? Sure is a shame you’re late on your second day of the job. I’d hate to have to fire you soon”

‘No need to rub it in like that’ Martin thinks to himself. He just wants this conversation to end so desperately. 

“Um yeah, it won’t happen again boss, I’m sorry.”

“Let’s hope so, I won’t keep you from doing your job much longer, go on.”

To this, Martin quickly walks away and to his desk. His stomach gurgles and rumbles but it's not as if he can get anything to eat or drink without falling behind in his work even further. He continues working but his stomach can hardly take it. He hasn’t eaten since he was at work yesterday and the alcohol last night wasn’t keeping his stomach very full. He worked for about ten minutes before deciding that he should at least make himself some tea to keep himself sane. Then he would get right back to work like he never stopped. 

Martin walked into the breakroom and began boiling a kettle of water. He waited for a couple of minutes and to his surprise, Jon walked in.

“Martin, I figured you’d be working right about now.” he says in a condescending tone.

“I was but I couldn’t focus because I haven’t eaten since yesterday and I’m just making tea now but I mean, I’ll go back to work and everything right after, I swear.” Martin rambles and it takes a moment for him to realize he should just shut up.

“It’s alright, if you don’t mind, could you make enough tea for two? I came in here to make myself some but it seems you already have it covered.”

Martin immediately feels beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He makes tea for his mum all the time and she likes it enough but this was entirely different. Still, it’s not as if he was in any position to deny him.

“Uh, sure of course I can. I didn’t take you for a tea drinker but which kind do you want?” Martin asks, full of nerves.

“Whatever kind you were already planning to make, I’m not picky.” 

They stand around for a few more minutes having idle conversation before it’s ready. Jon pulls out a mug with the words “ceaseless watcher” printed on it. As ominous as that is, Martin just pours Jon some tea and waits for him to try it.

Jon brings the mug up to his lips and takes a sip. As far as Martin could tell, he just made some sort of face, a shocked face that could mean anything at all. His heart immediately drops, nobody makes a surprised face like that unless they absolutely hate whatever they just ate. What Martin doesn’t know is that Jon just tasted the best tea he’s had in his entire life. Jon immediately thinks about how he’s been making shitty tea the entire time and how he now knows how good tea actually is when you prepare it correctly.

As Martin braces himself for the worst, Jon relieves some of his worry.

“You know, that tea was really quite good actually.”

Martin can hardly hold his excitement at this comment. This was the nicest thing he’s been told for a while and coming from Jon of all people. He just felt as if he could melt thinking about it. Maybe he did have a chance of not being hated.

“Anyway, I’d hate to keep you from getting your work done, Martin. Don’t you think you should get to it?” Jon says. 

Martin was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot all about his work. He poured himself a mug and walked back to his desk. If you were watching him, you'd be able to see a just a small bit of excitement in the way he walked. 

The next day, Martin woke up early and had a plan. He surely thought that this plan would help Jon like him, at least a little more. He was going to show up before Jon and make him some tea and leave it at his desk. Now that he knows Jon likes his tea, he’s going to take advantage of it. And he’d get bonus points because he was at work so early. There was no doubt in Martin’s mind that it would work, at least a little bit. 

He woke at about six in the morning and planned to be at the institute by seven, which should leave Jon plenty of time to show up. So he walked to the institute and got there just in time. As he walks inside, he hears something come from one of the rooms. He peeks into the room and it’s Jon recording a statement.

“I never saw something I could actu- Martin? What are you doing here so early? Making up for your missed hours yesterday?” Jon asks, surprised to see anyone so early.

“Um, yeah. I just wanted to finish the thing from yesterday. But how come you’re here so early? Can I get you anything, some tea maybe?” Martin was thankful Jon came up with an excuse for him. He really wasn’t accounting for anyone being here aside from maybe Elias. 

“You know what, sure. I could go for some tea right about now” Jon replied, intentionally not answering his first question.

“What about- Yeah ok, I’ll go do that.”

Martin went to go make some tea but found himself a little but frustrated. He didn’t think Jon would be here this early and he didn’t even get an answer. Of course, it’s not his place to push the matter, so he wasn’t going to try. 

Martin sluggishly makes tea for himself and Jon and pours it into their respective mugs. Martin is somewhat disappointed that the surprise didn’t work out like he had anticipated but seeing Jon appreciate his tea made things a little bit better, which was really all he wanted. 

He went to his desk and began working. Working hard enough to forget his life. All of his loneliness, all of his discontent, everything was temporarily melting away as he looked into whatever mystical forces were terrorizing innocent people. Martin had to admit, as spooky as it all was, it was all much more interesting than his own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it to the end, thank you! I appreciate you for taking time to read all this, I wrote this entire chapter in one sitting so I'm pretty tired.


	3. Chapter 3

As has recently become routine, Martin is compiling research for the institute. As much as he wishes it would whisk him away temporarily, like usual, it’s just not coming to him. He can tell he’s not being very productive but a particular thought just won’t leave his mind.

‘What the hell was Jon doing here so early in the morning? It’s not like it was insanely early or anything but still, we never had to come into work before 8 in the morning and I don’t think even Elias comes in that early. I just, I try to do something nice and it just doesn’t end up like I wanted, it’s not like it ended up badly or anything but- why? Is he alright? Does he not have a good home life? Does he even have a home? What if-’ Martin’s mind just wouldn’t stop racing with the same things over and over again throughout the day. He knew it was ridiculous but he really cared for his boss, and NOT because of physical attractiveness. Although, Martin couldn’t deny that it didn’t hurt anything.

Martin really didn’t want to think about it much longer so he brewed another batch of tea and prepared himself to just ask Jon. He knew he’d probably get shot down so he at least made the tea so he’d have an excuse to be in his office. Then he could just casually ask why he was there as early as he was and hope it wouldn’t backfire. To be fair, he was half expecting it to backfire but he just wanted to be optimistic.

His nerves began to clamor as he approached his boss’ door. He gently knocked but was only greeted with silence. He knocked again, a little more urgently now, and just like before, he heard nothing from the other side. By this point, he wondered if maybe Jon wasn’t in there, or maybe that he was supposed to take the silence as a signal that it was fine to come in. Either way, Martin decided to just peek inside. 

Inside Jon’s office, Martin saw his boss slumped over the desk, presumably asleep with a tape recorder in hand. As tempting as it was to take a picture, he decided it was best to not be a complete creep. He noticed that the tape recorder was still recording, and that it must’ve been picking up Jon’s snores. ‘He didn’t really have a loud snore or anything but it was just noticeable enough. Well, less of a snore and more like small breathy grunts as he slept. Well not quite like that either, that makes it sound weird but-’. Martin stopped himself in his tracks, realizing just how weird his mental tangent was getting. 

Immediately after trying to describe Jon’s snoring to himself, Martin notices how cold Jon’s office is. There’s no way Jon can be comfortable sleeping like this. After placing the tea on Jon’s desk, Martin retrieves his own work blanket from his desk and covers Jon with it. He knows this is weird but Jon just looks too comfortable to just wake up. Besides, it would be awkward to just wake him up.

Martin decides to at least leave a note so Jon wouldn’t think he’s going crazy when he wakes up in someone else’s blanket. He found a blank post-it note and wrote on it “I came in to ask you a question and noticed you were busy. Please get enough rest at night though :) -signed, Martin K. Blackwood”. He really wasn’t sure why he felt so compelled to draw a stupid little smiley face on it. It just felt right for the tone of it. He also wasn’t sure why he kept insinuating he has a middle name. He knew the K wasn’t necessary but it felt strange to not put it.

For just a moment, Martin indulged himself with the sight of Jon looking all cozy in the same blanket he’s been using for months. Then he noticed something in the corner. There was a cot with a flimsy, worn out blanket, lazily draped over it in the corner of Jon’s office. 

Martin thought that he was probably right to worry earlier. ‘What reason could there possibly be to have a cot in the institute anyway? It’s not as if anyone comes in looking for a place to rest. Maybe Jon has some sort of side job here giving people massages or something.’ Jokes aside, he figured out pretty quickly that Jon must sleep here sometimes and that’s probably why he was in so early this morning.

He felt genuinely bad for a moment. He didn’t know why Jon would sleep in a worn down cot in his office but it can’t be a good thing. ‘Maybe he lives with someone abusive? Maybe he doesn’t have a home? Or maybe he just works himself so hard he doesn’t bother going home?’ Martin wasn’t sure if this was something he could ask. To be completely honest, he wasn’t even sure if he had jumped to the right conclusion. It was just entirely likely that he was just blindly coming to the wrong conclusion. That was always something his mother didn’t like about him, he reminisced.

Martin sat back down at his desk, continuing the work that he had neglected earlier to talk to Jon. He still had trouble focusing but he fought through it. He had a job to do after all, and he wasn’t about to let his mental state get in the way of anything, no matter how distracting it was. Jon could be going through some serious shit and Martin didn’t want to have to go on knowing that.

There are a lot of words one could use to describe Martin Blackwood. Some might say he was kind, caring, anxious and sweet. Other’s might describe him as stupid, incompetent, sensitive and dramatic. But there was a particular trait that Martin didn’t have an ounce of, and that was apathy. Martin felt a lot of things all the time and guilt was one of his more prominent feelings. 

That was especially the case right now. If Jon didn’t seem to hate him, like he does, he would offer to share his own apartment. Well, that wasn’t true. Martin was completely willing to share the apartment if Jon needed it but he realized that he would never take him up on the opportunity unless something really bad was going on. Basically meaning he wouldn’t openly offer his place unless he knew something bad was going on. So when Jon wakes up, Martin would sort of casually ask why he was at the institute and then ask why he had a cot in the office and things would go out from there. That is assuming Jon would tell the truth, which he probably wouldn’t. Martin also didn’t want to pry either, he knows that sort of thing can hurt people if they weren’t prepared to talk about it. 

Martin’s head was so full at the moment he could just explode. Thousands of thoughts were just building in his mind and he was so stressed over it. It was truly one of those moments where the slightest inconvenience could just ruin his entire week. 

“Martin.” 

“What do you WANT?” Martin blurted out frustratedly.

Martin’s heart dropped when he realized that it was just Jon standing behind him, and that he shouldn’t have used a tone like that. He really wasn’t thinking, he was just stressed and his thoughts were just spiraling a little bit. He turned around to see Jon holding Martin’s blanket that he had lent him earlier.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude or anything, I just-” Martin stammered out, mentally praying to whatever might be out there that Jon didn’t take it the wrong way.

“It’s... fine. I certainly wasn’t expecting that coming from you of all people but it’s alright. Just don’t speak down to me like that again.” Jon said, somewhat forcefully at the end.

“Of course not, don’t worry. I swear, I was just very deep in thought is all.”

“Right, anyway, I suppose you’ll want this back. You said you had a question for me earlier?” Jon asked, handing the blanket back to Martin.

Martin felt a little silly for a second. It was a weird gesture in hindsight, especially with an outer space themed blanket but it made sense in the moment, besides, the institute gets cold sometimes.

“Yes, I did actually. If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing in your office earlier? Nobody was really supposed to be there yet.” Martin asked, slightly relieved to have the question out of his system.

“I do mind you asking actually, and I could ask you the same. But I just came in early to finish recording some statements.” Jon said, standing his ground.

“So what about the cot then? It’s an awfully weird thing to keep in an archive unless you were sleeping there” Martin seemed a little shocked at the words that just slipped out of his mouth. That being said, he did want to know.

“I thought I told you not to talk down to me. But if you insist and already know that much, fine. I was sleeping here last night. What about it?”

“Jon! Is anything bad happening at home? Do you have a home? This is no place to live. Besides, that cot can’t be very comfortable at all and-” Martin was glad that Jon was being honest but that was the least of his thoughts. Luckily, he was interrupted by his boss.

“Martin, calm down. It only happened once. Everything’s fine at my apartment. I just stayed here to get some work down. There’s a lot of it, ok? I didn’t mean for you to worry” Jon’s eyes softened as he tried comforting Martin a little bit.

Jon wouldn’t admit but he really did feel guilty seeing how worked up Martin got. He didn’t think anyone could worry so much over something like this. Personally, he didn’t think it was a big deal at all but he knows what it’s like for your worries to be dismissed. Not as if he doesn’t do that to most of the statements he listens to but it’s not as if those people in the statements would know the difference.

“But it’s, but you-” Martin struggles with his words for a second, trying to calm down but failing. “It’s the third day, Jon. Where did the cot even come from? You need to take care of yourself, Jon. I know it only happened once but I don’t want these sorts of things to become a habit.”

“I’m sorry, Martin. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I brought the cot from home. Do you want me to bring it back home or something? I don’t want to see you so worked up” Jon was really trying his best to comfort Martin. He really feels bad seeing him this frustrated. He knows he comes off as heartless sometimes, but as much as he hates to admit it, he’s a human underneath his serious demeanor. 

“I hate to be rude but would you? I’m sorry, that was out of line for me, I swear I’m better than that” Martin replied, steadying his breath and fidgeting with his fingers.

“Of course. I’m sorry too. That definitely wasn’t the healthiest thing I could’ve done. I can tell you just worry about these things” Jon realized this was way out of character for him but he didn’t want to just hurt Martin. 

“No, no, you don’t need to apologize. I was the one who blew things out of proportion. Just… take care of yourself, okay?’ Martin asked, coming back to reality. 

Martin felt pretty disappointed in himself, he really just let his stress and anxiety get the best of him at work so early into his new position. In front of Jon and everything. He never thought Jon could be that considerate though. 

“It’s ok, everyone has their moments. Do you need anything? Maybe some tea or water or something?” Jon asked, wanting to make sure Martin knew that he didn’t think any less of him just because of this incident. If he ever did think any less of him, it was just because of his work performance.

“No, I’m good. I’ll just uh, get back to work I guess.” Martin said, trying to forget that whole thing. 

If Martin was being perfectly honest, he would’ve liked to ask Jon for a hug. He just needs physical touch but he’s not going to ask Jon for that. He just knows that it would be too weird anyway. 

“Alright, if you insist. I should go do the same” Jon replied as he made his way back to his office.

What Martin doesn’t realize is that Jon wouldn’t have minded it in the slightest. In fact, it would’ve been his first hug since his college days with Georgie. But since Martin never asked, neither of them are going to receive that hug, at least not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it this far, I appreciate everyone who at least reads this! Next chapter will be more fun, I promise. Not to hype it up too much but there may be some timsasha shenanigans in store.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey, Martin, you free tonight?”

Martin looks up from his work to see his coworker Tim leaning over Martin’s desk, looking at him expecting an answer.

“No, I’m not really in a drinking mood tonight” Martin replied.

He didn’t really like to drink all that much anyway. Hangovers just weren't really his thing.

“Not out drinking, Martin. All four of us are going to go out to a restaurant to celebrate an entire month of this new set up.” Tim said with a bit of a smirk on his face. 

“All four of us? You mean Jon’s coming? How? And what restaurant?” Martin asked. He was honestly shocked that they could convince Jon to actually do something fun. And outside of a work environment, no less.

“Just some new Italian place that opened up kinda close to here. Also, Sasha’s got Jon covered. That won’t be an issue, will it?” Tim’s smirk seemed to grow wider at that last remark, as if he had a trick up his Hawaiian print sleeve.

“No, of course not. I’m just surprised you could convince him.”

Almost as if they were in some sort of sitcom with shitty comedic timing, they could hear his coworkers loudly talking from one of the other rooms nearby.

“Come on, Jon, it’s a work celebration. You can’t just not go, you’re our boss.”

“If you want to invite your boss so badly, I’m sure Elias would love to go.”

“You’re kidding, right? Come on, it’ll be FUN. Just a bite at a restaurant can’t hurt”

At that point, they toned down their voices and Martin and Tim could no longer hear them. 

“Do you think she can pull it off?” Martin asked Tim, somewhat doubting that Sasha could convince Jon to do something interesting.

“Of course, Sasha has her ways” Tim replied with full confidence in her.

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” 

Before Tim could say anything, they heard a loud and exasperated “FINE, just don’t say anything-” from the distance in Jon’s voice. She really did have her ways, whatever they might’ve been.

On the way there, Tim and Sasha kept exchanging impish grins, as if they were cartoon villains setting up a trap together. As much as this unsettled Martin, he was more unsettled that Tim looked away from the road while driving when he looked over to Sasha. They truly had one of those relationships that you just can’t tell whether or not they’re dating. They’re both so playful that it’s difficult to tell if they’re actually together or not but they’re just so in tune with one another.

Aside from Tim and Sasha’s occasional giggles, the car was completely silent, Martin felt the tension in the back seats so he turned to Jon and attempted to make conversation.

“So, you actually made it. I wasn’t sure you’d tag along.” Martin said, trying to break some of the ice in the car.

“I wasn’t either but here I am, I suppose. Is this place even any good?” Jon asked his coworkers in the front seats.

“Of course. Well probably, I’ve never been. But I wouldn’t take you guys out somewhere mediocre on our coworker monthiversary, I’m your favorite assistant after all.” Sasha chimed in from the passenger seat.

“That’s not true. I- Well actually, nevermind.” Jon tried defending himself before realizing she was right.

The four of them are greeted with the smell of pasta and overpriced wine as they walk into the restaurant waiting to be seated. They manage to score a booth where Tim and Sasha sit on one side while Jon and Martin get the other side. They all receive menus and awkwardly look through them. 

While they’re all deciding what to order, Tim leans over to Sasha and whispers into her ear. Neither Jon nor Martin could make out what he was saying and they just figure it’s not very important. Sasha replied by nodding her head sideways and softly saying “No, not yet”. Martin wasn’t sure he liked whatever they were plotting but he just stayed silent.

They all place their orders and make small talk for a couple of minutes. At least until Sasha’s phone rings, interrupting them. 

“Hello? Is everything alright?” she asks the phone.

Her eyes widen at whatever the other person says to her as she turns to Tim. 

“Tim, it’s the babysitter, we have to go.” Sasha told him with a concerned look on her face. 

“Oh my god, why? What happened?” Tim asked, looking equally concerned.

“Wait, what? Babysitter?” Martin chimed in, in shock that they would have any need for a babysitter.

“I’ll explain in the car,” she said to Tim. She then turned to Jon and Martin and continued “As for you two, you can have the food we ordered. Here’s my card so you can pay. We should be able to pick you two lovebirds up in an hour or two. I’m so sorry about this, bye, we really have to go.”

“Are you sure? Can’t we go with you?” Jon asked them hurriedly.

“Lovebirds?” Martin stammered out.

Tim and Sasha ignored both of their questions as they rushed out to the car and Jon and Martin watched the car leave the parking lot. What Jon and Martin didn’t see was the fistbump and laughter Tim and Sasha exchanged as soon as they entered the car. 

“So you think they really bought it?” Sasha asked in between shrieking laughs. 

“Of course they did, you saw their faces” Tim answered, chortling just as much as Sasha was.

“They really believed we hired a babysitter and everything, holy shit!” Sasha hardly managed to form the words through all of her roaring laughter as Tim pulled out of the parking lot. 

“Anyway, your place or mine?”

“You brought your car so preferably mine”

“‘Kay”

Meanwhile, things weren’t as relaxed inside the restaurant. Martin felt his anxiety beginning to bubble up as it does during events like this. But he just had to stay calm. After all, Jon was here too and their food should be ready any minute now.

Then something hit Martin like a sack of bricks. ‘This looked like a date. Maybe it is a date? No, of course not, we arrived with two other people. But not like a double date, they’re our coworkers. But if anyone saw us now, they might think this was a date. Oh god, I don’t know anyone here, do I?’ Martin’s brain was racing like an autoclicker on a virtual novel. 

“Martin, you alright? You look worried.” Jon asked, concerned about Martin.  
“Yeah, a lot just happened at once. Sorry.” Martin tried brushing off his emotions.

“It’s fine. Take deep breaths, ok? We’ll get our food soon and then Sasha will come back and everything will be ok. Besides, we’re stuck here together.” Jon tried reassuring Martin.

After breathing for a second, Martin regains control over his thoughts. His food arrives and he realizes that the situation is mundane so he tries enjoying his evening. Besides, it’s not as if going on a fake date with Jon was the worst thing that could possibly happen.

“Anyway, I didn’t know Tim and Sasha needed a babysitter.” Martin brought up.

“I didn’t either. Maybe it’s someone else’s kid that one of them is looking after?” Jon suggested.

“I guess? It just seems weird that someone would lend their kid to a couple that works all day.” Martin replied. 

“Are they a couple? I legitimately can’t tell with those two.” Jon asked, in confusion.

“Hell if I know. I just assumed because they both seemed pretty concerned for the kid.”

They spent a while just chatting over their food. They didn’t especially bring up anything too personal but it was definitely a tad more personal than just small talk. They eventually talked about their experiences at school and throughout college. Martin had to make up stories about the college he didn’t actually go to. This was fine though because Jon had to pretend as if he wasn’t in a steampunk band when he was in college.

After they finished their food, they boxed up Tim and Sasha’s orders and planned to bring it to them. They still had plenty of time before they were supposed to show up. They sat on the bench outside for a moment before they got bored and began walking side by side around the parking lot as the sky was getting dark. 

“This really is a fun way to spend our evening, huh?” Martin asked sarcastically. 

Jon smiled a little bit to himself before replying. “It really is, isn’t it” in the same sarcastic tone.

“God, this just reminds me of waiting with my secondary school boyfriend for my mom to pick us up from the school dance because neither of us could drive yet.” Martin reminisced, cringing some over how awkward it was.

This genuinely made Jon laugh, he was too much of a loner throughout his school days to have dated anyone yet but that one sentence just reeked of body odor and teenage awkwardness. Then he realized.

“Wait, you had a boyfriend?” Jon asked, curiously.

“Um, yeah. I’m gay actually.” Martin choked out. He was comfortable in his identity but coming out to someone was always a little nerve wracking.

“Oh cool, well I mean you just mentioned it and- Actually can I tell you something?” Jon was now fumbling with his words.

“Uh, sure, yeah. Go for it.” Martin had an idea of what was about to come next but he didn’t want to be wrong.

“Well, I’m actually bi. Well technically asexual but biromantic. I know that confuses people but-” Jon rambles on for a second before stopping himself mid sentence. It’s been a while since he’s come out to anyone in real life so he’s quite nervous, even if he is coming out to his gay assistant who he just had a fake date with.

“Good for you then. Sorry, that sounded weird but I don’t know what to say. I obviously support you and everything but I’m very far from homophobic anyway.” Martin went on for a moment.

“It’s quite alright.” Jon said.

They just continued walking around the parking lot, chatting about whatever came to mind. At several points in the conversation, Martin wanted to reach out and take Jon’s hand in his own but he knew better. Even if they were getting along extremely well on their fake date, Jon was still his boss. 

Eventually, a familiar car pulls up into the parking lot. The driver’s window rolls down and Sasha’s there waiting for them. Jon and Martin get in the car with all of their things. Martin notices that Sasha is driving now and that Tim is squirming around in the passenger seat as if no position is comfortable for him to sit in.

“So how was it?” Tim asked. 

Martin blushes for just a second before Jon says, in his usual pretentious manner “It was fine. Took you two long enough though.”

“Yeah, happened earlier anyway?” Martin asked in a voice that was almost a shout but not quite.

“Oh, we just got a scare is all. Apparently she passed out for a moment for seemingly no reason. We still don’t know why but she seems to be alright now.” Sasha answered.

“And who is this she anyway?” Jon asked, almost positive that they didn’t have any children together.  
“Oh, just my niece. She’s been staying with me while her mom is in the hospital.” Sasha lied. She’s always been good at lying but she knew now that she had to maintain this lie as long as she worked at the institute. Not that she minded though, she’s always gotten a bit of a rush from people believing her lies. Jon and Martin had no choice but to believe her. They didn’t have any reason to doubt her anyway. 

Sasha drives her coworkers to their respective homes and everyone returns to the life they know. Nobody out of the four of them had any trouble sleeping that night. They all had an eventful night on top of a normal work day which was already tiring enough. After all that, they all earned the long and refreshing rests they got that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked it! I know Jon is painfully ooc for s1 but I'm a slut for nice considerate bfs


	5. Chapter 5

Jon had just recorded his last statement of the night. He always tends to lose track of time when he records statements. He just ends up burning through them, completely forgetting his surroundings until something snaps him back into reality. Today, that reality check was glancing at the clock and seeing that it was 9:47 PM and realizing that nobody else must have still been in the institute. And since the doors locked themselves at 10 PM, he decided it was a good time to go home.

He gathered his things and made his way down one of the halls when he heard a soft and muffled voice coming from one of the rooms. There was no nametag on the door but he recognized that it was Martin’s office. Jon couldn’t make out what the voice was saying but it had a bit of a rhythmic quality to it. He knocked the door gently, wondering why Martin would still be here. 

As soon as Jon knocked, he heard a small yelp and sounds of things being hurriedly shuffled away.

“Martin, is that you? What are you still doing here?” Jon asked through the door.

“Um, yeah, it’s me. I was just… I was just working.” Martin’s voice says, clearly panicked.

“I thought you finished all of your work for today. Can I come in?” Jon asks, knowing that something is up.

“Yeah, sure, just, wait a minute,” There were more shuffling sounds of things being put away until Martin choked “Yeah, come on in”

Jon opened the door to see a very startled Martin. There was a pile of crooked papers on his desk that Jon didn’t recognize as well as a tape recorder that was still recording its surroundings.

“So, why exactly are you recording this?” Jon poked. 

“Shit.” Martin's eyes widened as he looked down to see that the tape recorder was still on. He immediately reached to turn it off. “Oh, it’s nothing, I just forgot to turn it off.” he tried brushing it off with a nervous laugh. 

“So, are you going to tell me what’s actually going on?” Jon pried.

“Fine. Well I was recording some of my poetry because I thought you had already left.” Martin admitted, clearly feeling defeated.

“Couldn't you have done that at home?” Jon asked.

“I suppose I could but the lady in the apartment above mine gets mad. She says she can hear it even though I don’t speak loudly.” Martin explained, a little bit embarrassed of the situation.

“Either way, we should really get out before 10. The doors automatically lock and I don’t think you can open it from the inside.” Jon brought up, remembering the time limit they're on. 

They quickly make their way towards the entrance. They approach the doors when they hear a clicking sound that must’ve been the locking doors. Both of their hearts instantly dropped.

“Surely we can still open it, right? Let me just,” Martin attempts to open the door but it’s firmly locked. He tries again, pulling harder but the door won’t budge.”I guess that means we’re stuck here.”

“Maybe Elias can do something about the locks? I can’t think of anyone else who could though.” Jon suggested.

“Yeah, do you have his number? What kind of place doesn’t let you unlock it from the inside?” Martin asked frustratedly.

“I think so. Let me call him and see if he can do anything.” Jon said, trying not to worry.

Jon pulled out his phone and luckily, Elias’s number was in there. He called the number desperately hoping he would pick up. Unfortunately, it never did. It went straight to voicemail 

“Uh, hi. This is Jon. I was finishing up some of my work and lost track of time and now I’m trapped here in the institute. I figured if anyone could do anything, it’s you. Also, Martin’s here too.” 

“I take it he didn’t pick up?” Martin inquired.

“No, but I left a voicemail, so hopefully he gets that and can get us out of here.” Jon tried reassuring.

“So, what do we do until then?” Martin questioned.

“Just wait, I suppose.” Jon replied, not really sure how long that might be.

They waited in place for a few minutes, awkwardly silent, checking their phones for anything interesting. Every couple minutes, one of them would try the door again, hoping it might miraculously unlock. It never did. They were both completely unsure if Elias even got the voicemail yet or if he was already on his way. This continued for several more minutes until Martin got extremely bored.

“Can’t we do something fun while we wait? My phone’s almost dead and we have no idea how much longer we’ll be stuck here.” Martin complained. 

“Do you have anything in mind?” Jon asked offhandedly.

“I mean, no, not really. Maybe like a game or something? Does this place have anything fun to do?” Martin said impatiently.

“I doubt it, maybe we can go looking though, if you want.” Jon said, just as bored as Martin was.

They wandered around the institute some, looking for nothing in particular. It was a large building but very bland. They did a little bit of snooping into rooms that they weren’t hadn’t had any reason to go into earlier. For the most part, it was quite boring, just normal people’s work stations. Exactly what you’d expect to see in an institute like this.

They continued opening random doors out of boredom until one of them was vastly different from the others. It was musty and didn’t look like it had been used for a while. There was a desk near the center and a suspiciously placed rug with an unsettling eyeball print on it. While it may have just been wrinkled up some, it looked like it was placed on top of something three dimensional. 

Jon walked up to it with Martin close behind, curious as to what it was hiding. Jon moved the rug out of the way with his foot, revealing a cellar door beneath. Although they had never really thought of it before, they didn’t know the building had any sort of basement.

“You want to see what’s down there?’ Jon asked.

“Um, can we? Is that something we’re allowed to do?” Martin stammered.

“I don’t see anyone here to stop us, do you?” Jon answered, realizing this was probably the most entertainment they were going to get out of the night.

“I guess not, just a peek can’t hurt, can it?” Martin croaked out.

Jon lifted the door to reveal a flight of stairs leading to darkness. He turned on the flashlight on his phone to see some concrete walls. 

“You down for some exploring?” Jon suggested. 

“Exploring? Down there? Elias could show up any second and see us snooping around and-” Martin rambled before getting cut off by Jon.

“It’s already eleven. I could easily be wrong but I think if he was going to show up, he would have by now. If you don’t want to go, you can just say so.” Jon interrupted. 

“Well, it’s just a basement, I’m not scared of a plain old basement. We can go” Martin said like a child preparing himself for some stupid dare.

The stairs creak under their feet as they make their way down. Once they’re at the bottom of the stairs, they notice how big the place is. There are also dozens of seemingly endless tunnels, twisting into each other and forming what seems to be a labyrinth. The darkness between in the tunnels seemed to stretch further than their eyes could see, even with the flashlight on.

“What is this place?” Martin asked, dumbfounded and latched onto Jon’s arm.

“I have absolutely no clue. Odd look for a basement” Jon tried answering. He was just as dumbstruck as Martin but rather than being afraid, he was curious. This place clearly had some sort of story to tell and it was right under his nose the whole time. However, he understood that Martin was probably more scared than he was so he didn’t stop Martin from clinging to his arm.

They cautiously walked around with a hand on the wall so they wouldn't get too lost. As they went on, they noticed things on the ground. Food wrappers and random bottles soon littered the ground. 

“Jon, are you sure we’re alone down here?” Martin was clearly very afraid of the possibility that someone else was down here with them. 

“If anyone is there, show yourselves! We mean you no harm.” Jon called out to anyone who could hear. 

If anyone was there, they didn’t show any signs. Everything was still aside from their own hearts and heavy breathing. There was no rustling, nobody else's breathing, they might just be alone. However, Jon wasn’t sure he wanted to take that chance.

“Are you ready to go back?” Jon softly asked Martin. 

To this, Martin nodded several times and they made their way back to the entrance of the tunnels and back upstairs. When they arrived back in the room that took them to the basement, Jon couldn’t help but notice that Martin was holding his arm oddly.

“Martin, are you alright? Are you hurt? You’re holding your arm weird.” Jon said in a bit of a panic.

“I sorta hoped I was fat enough for you not to notice. God, you’re going to hate me for this but…”

Jon stared as Martin pulled out a bottle of vodka from underneath his shirt. The bottle was quite large and seemingly unopened.

“WHAT? Where did you get that? Why do you have it? I know that wasn’t there when we went down.” Jon freaked out.

“Well, I noticed that one of the bottles on the ground seemed untouched and I took it. I don’t know what was going through my head. They had dozens of others and I know it’s stupid of me, please don’t be mad.”

Martin seemed pretty freaked out but Jon wasn’t going back down to return it.

“Martin, I’m not mad. I can’t say I’m not disappointed but what were you even thinking?”

“Ok, dad,” Martin sarcastically remarked. “But since you know about it, should we drink it now?”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt, it’s almost midnight now. But maybe we should get out of this room first, it’s somewhat unsettling compared to the rest of the building.”

Eventually, they settled on just sitting against some wall in the archives. They had stopped by the break room on the way there to get their work mugs first. 

‘So, how much do you want in the mug?” Martin asked in case Jon might not want a lot. He was so scrawny after all, surely he can’t take much.

“Just fill it up” Jon solemnly said.

Martin was surprised but he did as he was told and then filled his own mug. 

Both of their mouths and throats burned as they took the first sips. Jon coughed for a second before taking another sip. Neither of them drank often so they had forgotten how much it burned and how unappealing the taste was.

“Forgot how gross this stuff is” Martin said, still recovering from that first sip.

“Yeah, how can anyone stand to drink this?” Jon replied before sipping again.

A few minutes pass and both of their mugs are empty. Martin’s feeling a little bit tipsy but Jon on the other hand seems to be a little more drunk.

“Elias would fucking kill us if he saw this, huh?” Martin tried making conversation.

“Yeah, fuck Elias. He’s a shitty boss, fuck him” Jon said with a bit of a slur.

“Jon, are you feeling alright? That might’ve been a lot for you.” Martin regretted letting him have that much at once.

“It’s fine, I’m fine. I only had one. Besides, Elias is the worst” Jon tried defending himself.

“Come on, Elias isn’t that bad. He’s lame but that’s about it.” Martin tried talking some sense into Jon, half knowing it wouldn’t work.

“You don’t know what he’s capable of, Martin. Did you know he has a weed tattoo?” 

This made Martin crack up. Just the implication Elias, of all people, has a weed tattoo. That as well as the insinuation that it makes him evil or something. He just laughed there for a solid minute, totally unable to control himself.

“Why are you laughing? It’s true! Right on his ass cheek! I heard him mention it when he was on the phone with his husband! Ex-husband? I’m not really sure but I know what I heard, Martin” Jon continued.

Martin was laughing harder now. Maybe harder than he ever had before. His sides were aching and he could hardly breathe. Jon was being completely serious though. He knew that his drunken suspicions were completely true.

They drank a little bit more, more time passing as they talked about whatever came to their minds. Some of it nonsensical but some of it was genuine feelings. Sometimes the mood would suddenly become serious and tense in between the rest of their gibberish.

Jon was leaning against Martin’s side and Martin had his head resting against Jon’s. 

“You know, I never really felt close to anyone until I was in college. I had my family but that was really it.” Jon thought out loud.

“Yeah? Why do you bring that up?” Martin asked.

“I dunno, it’s stupid. But you’re the closest thing I have to a friend right now.”

Martin felt his heart swell in his chest. 

“That’s very sweet of you. I didn’t really have many friends either. When I was really small, everyone else thought I was too weird. I got a few friends eventually but they left as soon as I finished school. So my coworkers are the only friends I really have” He wasn’t sure if it was just the alcohol but the words just slipped out of Martin, almost too easily.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a shitty situation to be in” Jon tried comforting him.

“Hey, it’s alright really. Besides, we have each other”

Jon sat up, no longer leaning on Martin. Martin looked over when he did and Jon stared into his eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds with the same thought in mind.

Jon leaned up to Martin and kissed his lips. Martin sunk into it immediately. Martin cupped Jon’s face in his hands and dragged him in deeper. Jon put his arms on Martin’s shoulders and wrapped his arms around the back of Martin’s head. They kissed for about ten seconds before pulling away.

“What was that?” Martin asked, regaining his composure.

“I... don’t really know. Did you like it though?” Jon asked in a small voice.

“I mean… yeah. Do you want to do it again?”

Jon answered by leaning back in and hooking their lips together. Martin’s lips were so soft against his own. These were the first kisses either of them have had in what feels like an eternity. They both taste strongly of alcohol but they didn’t care, they felt too good to care. The warmth inside them was so satisfying but at the same time, not enough. They pulled each other as close as they could possibly manage, bodies pressed against each other, desperately needing each other. 

They continued like this for a while. Neither of them could remember much how longer they did until one of them decided they were too tired.

The next morning Jon woke up at his desk with a killer headache. He doesn’t know why he’s there until he sees a mug of tea sitting on his desk. There was a note written in messy handwriting that reads “Hey, you kinda fell asleep last night so I brought you back to your desk -Martin <3”. His heart drops when he remembers what last night.

Jon wishes that he didn’t remember anything from that night but he remembers all too clearly. He remembers getting locked in, he remembers the tunnels, he remembers what he did with Martin. 

Jon checks his phone and sees that it’s a Saturday, which means he doesn’t have to be there. Hopefully that also means the doors are unlocked. He drinks the tea Martin prepared and walks out of his office. He notices that the hallway is very quiet. He opens the door to Martin’s office, only to discover that he had already left. 

His heart sunk a little when he realized Martin wasn’t there but he understood. Jon walked to the main entrance and tried the door. It opened easily and Jon made his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY hope you guys like this one, I know some things were weird. Next chapter will be the incredibly awkward aftermath of this so stay tuned


	6. Chapter 6

It’s currently Saturday night. Jon had spent all day nursing a nasty hangover from the night before. That mostly included laying in bed with the curtains drawn, occasionally scrolling idly through Reddit for a few minutes at a time before his headache would get worse. This left him with a lot of time to think about last night.

Jon hated himself for what he did that night. He was just drunk. He should’ve never let himself drink basement vodka. Yet he did and he could never take back his actions that night. Well putting it that way made it sound much worse than it was. He just drunkenly made out with one of his assistants. Not that it was a good idea at all but he was just drunk.

What Jon hated the most about what he did was that he was pretty sure he liked it. Like, a lot. He clearly remembered how it made him feel and Jon hated the thought of feeling that way towards Martin, of all people. Then again, it was probably just the alcohol making him think he had feelings. That’s it, he’s sure of it. He could never like someone like Martin without alcohol fucking up his decision making skills.

Jon tried brushing off the thought of having romantic feelings for Martin but he just couldn’t. He tried to convince himself that any feelings he thought he had were just the result of alcohol. However, he just couldn’t forget how kissing him felt. It’s been so long since he’s felt that desperation for another person. 

Not since Georgie at least. But that’s ridiculous. He loved Georgie and he doesn’t feel anything like that for Martin. He doesn’t. He really feels nothing like that for Martin. But he knew that felt wrong. Jon knew deep inside that there was something for Martin but he could never admit it to himself. That would mean he lost. Jon kept telling himself that he was just drunk, no feelings involved. But no matter what he told himself, he couldn’t just get rid of that stupid feeling.

Jon didn’t want to think about last night anymore. He got up from his bed and made himself a sandwich to distract himself. He turned on some youtube video he didn’t much care for, just so he could idly think about something else for at least five minutes.

Things weren’t going too differently at the apartment of Martin Blackwood. Although he wasn’t quite as hungover, he had a lot to think about. Much like Jon, he remembers exactly what went down last night and he felt ashamed for it. He put on a movie to distract himself but it’s just become background noise for his internal monologue.

Why did he take alcohol from the basement of his workplace? That was one of the dumbest things he’s probably ever done if not the dumbest. There were just several other bottles that surely, this stranger wouldn’t care too much about a missing one. But that doesn’t make it any less stupid.

And then he drank it with his boss as if that’s just something he was in any position to do. Once they were drunk, they made out. Martin felt really bad for taking advantage of Jon when he was as drunk as he was. He knows he was drunk too but nowhere near as bad as Jon was. And on top of that, he just let Jon drink that much. Martin just kept coming up with more and more reasons to hate himself for what happened that night. 

Jon’s probably going to fire him on Monday when they’re at work. Martin knows that Jon has every reason to hate his guts. Besides, they were drinking in the building they worked in, that’s almost the most unprofessional thing they could’ve done. Well, aside from making out for hours while heavily drunk, like they did.

Martin just knew so deeply that he was going to get fired. Martin got himself a drink from the fridge and began looking at job openings in the area. He had tears in his eyes but they weren’t there because of the possibility of being fired, he knew how to lie on a resume. He was just so frustrated that he really did the things he did that he couldn’t stop the tears from forming. 

Martin lets out a frustrated groan and lays his head down on the table in front of him. He couldn’t help but to just quietly sob to himself. He was so mad at himself that he just couldn’t keep it in any longer.

After getting his tears out, he noticed that he didn’t have any more alcohol in his fridge. Upon this sight, Martin just sighed and bought a weeks worth of booze that he was planning to down in the span of the next few hours, he was at least happy when he was drunk. His eyes were still puffy and red when he left the house but he just didn’t care. 

Another day passes and Jon and Martin each face the reality that they have to go to work on Monday, no matter how much they’re dreading it. As much as they both would prefer to just stay home, they know that doing that would make the next day that much more awkward. 

On Monday morning, Jon’s one of the first people into the institute aside from Elias and a few random people he doesn’t know the names of. His hair is disheveled and he has dark and heavy bags under his eyes but since he always looks tired, it wasn’t too different. He sits in his office with a large stack of statements to get through by the end of the day and busies himself immediately. 

Martin however, is almost late. Not late by office standards but later than he usually arrives. Much like Jon, Martin was also a mess. He’s usually very tidy looking with hope in his eyes but today, he was just a wreck. Martin clearly didn’t shave so he has some stubble and he also has circles under his eyes. He kept himself from drinking the night before to avoid a hangover at work but he still neglected to care for himself. 

When Martin walked into the institute, he received a few concerned stares from people who usually saw him walk into the office. He didn’t pay them any mind though, he understood they were surprised to see him so messy. 

“Woah, Martin, buddy. Are you alright?”

Martin turned around in his chair to see Tim looking down at him, clearly very concerned for his coworker. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Why do you ask?” Martin answered.

“Everything doesn’t look alright. Did something happen over the weekend?” Tim pressed.

Martin twitched when Tim asked about the weekend before answering again, slightly annoyed now, “Nothing happened. Why do you keep asking?”

“Martin, I know you. I know you don’t let yourself get like this unless something happened to mess you up. I’m not going to pry but you can talk to me. I’m just worried about you. I want you to be able to trust me as your friend, alright?”

“Alright, fine. But I want you to promise not to tell anyone, ok?”

Martin briefly recapped the events of Friday night to Tim. Tim was honestly shocked but listened and tried to understand. 

“So you’re telling me that you both got so drunk on spooky basement vodka that you made out with Jon in the archives because you were locked in together?” Tim summarized, making sure he understood the situation.

“I know, it sounds like something that would happen in a sitcom or something” Martin remarked.

“I mean, maybe it’s possible that Jon doesn’t remember any of it. You said he was drunk enough to initiate it, right?” Tim suggested, hoping for Martin’s sake that he was right. 

“It’s possible but I just doubt it. I’m not lucky enough for that to happen. He hasn’t fired me yet though, so maybe?” Martin wondered.

Martin worked for several hours after that. He tried his hardest to let his work whisk him away and it worked, to an extent. Eventually, Martin’s stomach churned, bringing him to reality. He had hardly eaten all weekend and he was just paying for that now. Maybe if he was quick and stealthy, he could brew himself some tea and then go back to work without running into anyone.

He sped into the break room, hoping that nobody else was in there. And luckily for him, nobody was. Martin began to boil his water when Jon walked into the break room with him. Just great timing.

“Well, this is awkward” Jon offhandedly said, knowing that if he said nothing, it would just be worse.

“Yeah, I take it you remember what happened that night then?” Martin asked. 

“Unfortunately, I do.” Jon replied. 

They stood there awkwardly for a minute or two waiting for their things to prepare as tensions grew in the room.

“Look, I’m really sorry about that. I know it was stupid of me, it’s my fault. Don’t fire me please.” Martin blurted out.

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have drank that much. Besides we were both extremely drunk when…well you know what happened.” Jon was too embarrassed to say it aloud but he got his message across.

“So you’re not going to fire me?” Martin asked, shocked that Jon didn’t fire him on the spot.

“No, I don’t think I will. I probably should but…” Jon trailed off while thinking about how he just couldn’t bring himself to fire Martin. He knows he should and that he has every reason to but he just doesn’t want to fire him. He didn’t know if it was out of pity for him or because he doesn’t want to get rid of him but Martin was here to stay.

“Um, thank you so so much! I swear I won’t do anything that stupid again!” Martin’s eyes lit up as he said this. 

“Don’t get too full of yourself, it’s not a personal thing. It’s just that I’m just as guilty as you are.” Jon tried denying his own feelings were somehow involved. 

The mood was still extremely awkward but less so now. Neither of them were willing to address what exactly happened that night. 

They both finished their business in the break room and returned to their respective offices. Martin was visibly happier than he was that morning after realizing Jon wouldn’t fire or kill him just yet.

“Hello, Jon.” 

Jon heard a familiar yet cold voice come from behind him and a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Elias standing above him.

“Um, hi. You need something?” Jon asked.

“No, no. Can’t we just talk as friends?” Elias said in a tone that would suggest they’ve ever talked as friends before.

“Sure?” Jon hesitated.  
“I’m so sorry I didn’t hear the voicemail from you until the next morning. The doors were already unlocked by that point though. But you probably figured that out already.”

“It’s fine, I guess. It’s over now.” Jon said, hoping that would be enough for Elias to leave. He still didn’t trust Elias and for more reasons than his weed tattoo.

“So what did you do all night anyway? I heard Martin was there with you. You didn’t get drunk off of cellar vodka and make out in the archives or anything, did you?” Elias said playfully. 

Jon’s eyes quickly widened. He blurted out a “How did-” before being interrupted by Elias.

“You don’t have to answer that one. You could say I just have an eye for these things.” Elias winked as he said this. Jon has never wanted to strangle a man more than he did at this very moment but Elias was his boss after all. “Anyway, that really tore Martin apart, huh? At least he seems more chipper now. Did you say something to him?”

“Well, not especially. I said I wouldn’t fire him over it which cheered him up.” Jon admitted.

“Why aren’t you going to fire him? I thought you hated him.” Elias asked him.

“I’m just as guilty as he is.” Jon said, hoping that was an adequate answer.

“Is that really the whole reason?” Elias pushed.

“Of course it is.” Jon said, more irritated now.

“Are you sure though?” Elias pried even further.

“Yes, I’m sure! Just shut up! There’s no other reason!” Jon shouted out.

“Oh my. It seems I’ve struck quite the nerve, haven’t I?” Elias teased.

“You just asked the same question over and over even though I told you the answer. It’s annoying” Jon defended himself.

“But we both know that isn’t the full answer,” at this, Jon angrily glared at him, but Elias continued. “However, I won’t make you say it, seeing you deny your feelings is reward enough”

“There’s nothing else to it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should really get back to these statements, if you don’t mind.” Jon said with an extremely passive aggressive tone in his voice, desperately wanting Elias to fuck off.

“If you insist. See you later.” Elias put extra emphasis on the ‘see’ and then giggled to himself as he excused himself from the room. 

Jon couldn’t stop thinking about how weird that was. It was like Elias was watching but he knew the archives didn’t have any cameras or windows. Even if there were security cameras, it’s not like Elias could have seen anything. He was at his own house and he surely couldn’t have been watching the footage from home. Jon shuddered at the thought of Elias just casually watching the whole thing from home, sipping on tea or something. This just furthered Jon’s suspicion of Elias, although he still didn’t have any tangible evidence aside from the weed tattoo, and nobody would believe that anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting near the end bois. There will be 2 chapters after this and the next one will feature our favorite Tim and Sasha! This chapter was originally going to go way differently but I think this is fun too, or at least, I had fun writing it. As always, thank you for reading this! I know it's not amazing but I have fun with this and knowing that people just read it makes me incredibly happy.


	7. Chapter 7

Martin lays in bed alone. It’s the middle of the night and he just can’t sleep. He feels so lonely that it hurts. He’s holding a pillow between his arms and legs, longing for someone to touch him or to even just care about him. He finds himself idly scrolling through twitter, hoping for something to take his mind off of his loneliness to no avail.

He thinks about Jon, mostly. He knows he shouldn’t but he can’t stop thinking about kissing him. Martin lets out a long sigh. He knows how fucked up it is, Jon is his boss and they only made out for a little while and because they were drunk off their asses. Martin knows how dumb and stupid that was but he can’t keep himself from wishing.

He wishes that they would’ve kissed under normal circumstances. He wishes for Jon to be with him now, just cuddling. He wishes he didn’t mess up that night like he did. He wishes he didn’t just mess everything up like he does.

Martin stopped that train of thought before he could allow himself to spiral any further. He still can’t get his mind off of the kiss though. He’s completely aware of how that isn’t something he should let himself romanticize but it felt so real. He didn’t realize how lonely he truly was until he had something that made him feel… something, at least. 

He didn’t want to call it love but it was something like it. He spent a few minutes pondering words that could describe his feelings. He settled on desperation. Not in the sense that he was desperate for anything at all but he was desperate for Jon. He wanted more and more of him as well as his time and attention. And he still does. He just wants to cuddle him and kiss him and just be with him. Martin knew that was too much to ask but that thought wouldn’t keep him from yearning. 

The same thoughts kept circling Martin’s mind over and over again. The same feelings of guilt and desperation flooding his mind. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep for a brief period. Martin never had vivid dreams. He still didn’t but when he woke up, his mind flashed with thoughts of Jon and Martin embracing and loving each other like the real world just didn’t exist.

Unfortunately, the real world did exist and it stung having to be stuck here. Martin slipped on his work clothes and prepared for another day of work. 

When Martin arrived at the institute, he noticed his coworkers, Tim and Sasha, seemingly scheming over something. They didn’t look like they were just talking, and laughing like always. Martin recognized their mannerisms from that one time they forced Jon and him to go to that one restaurant before they bailed for about two hours.

“What are you guys planning?” Martin interrupted them. 

“What? Us planning something? Tim replied, half joking.

“We would never. I mean, look at us, do we look schemy to you?” Sasha tacked on in the same tone. 

“Well, you sort of do.” Martin answered.

“Guess we just have to tell you then,” Tim said, jokingly defeated before gesturing over to Sasha to continue.

“Right, so we’re planning to pull some sort of prank on Jon. We just don’t know what yet. We don’t want it to be too bad because we like our jobs but enough to prove to Tim how stupid it is to prank your boss.” Sasha said, clearly trying to convey to Tim that they shouldn’t be doing this.

“I’m with Sasha on this one, I don’t think we should prank Jon. I mean, he isn’t that bad but wouldn’t hesitate to fire you guys.” Martin tried to dissuade them from pranking him. 

“Oh no, we’re definitely doing it, whatever it’ll be. I’m just saying it’s stupid as fuck and Tim needs to realize how dumb it is.” Sasha corrected Martin.

“Don’t act like I’m not aware how stupid this is. I’m completely aware but I just have fun, unlike the two of you” Tim said, half trying to stir them up.

“I’m going along with it, don’t act like I’m not having fun” Sasha retorted.

“Guys, pranking Jon is pretty much the worst thing we could do if we like our jobs. Besides, I don’t want to get caught up in your business.” Martin replied, trying to distance himself from the idea.

“But Martin, you’ll play the most important part” Tim lead on.

“That part being?” Martin asked, intrigued that they could want him to join them on something.

“That part being the distraction. You’ll lure Jon away from his office and then that’s when we’ll do… well, whatever our big fun prank is going to be.” Tim tried convincing Martin.

“I assume I can’t say no, can I?” Martin replied. 

“Well you could but we’d be pretty disappointed” Tim answered putting on a puppy dog face.

“Ugh, fine. But if it’s too dumb of an idea, I’m out.” Martin agreed.

“Perfect. We’ll never be able to thank you enough” Sasha thanked him.

Martin made his way to work and began to work. Something about this Jane Prentiss woman was coming up in several statements so far, which was honestly, quite unsettling. That aside, he continued to work away, hoping he could weasel his way out of whatever prank his coworkers were planning.

Later, it was time for Martin’s lunch break. He went into the break room to get his hummus from the fridge when he sees Tim and Sasha, already there, whispering to each other like school children exchanging secrets.

“Did you already decide on your prank or whatever?” Martin asked them.

“As a matter of fact, we did. It’s not going to be much though. We’re just going to put a bucket of water above his door frame so that when he goes back in, he’ll be all wet.” Sasha explained.

“If I’ll be honest, I expected something a lot more extravagant from you two.” Martin thought aloud.

“Well we wanted something with instant gratification that wouldn’t hurt him or anything, so we went pretty bland” Tim said, explaining the situation.

“You didn’t forget about your job, did you, Martin?” Sasha asked assertively.

“No, I’ve got to distract him apparently. Not sure how to do that but I can try.” Martin answered.

“Just do something to get him out of the office. Maybe pretend you’re looking for something or need his help with something. We’ll let you know when.” Sasha reassured him it wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Alright, whatever. Can I get to my lunch hummus now?” Martin asked, wanting to get to the fridge that his coworkers were blocking with their scheming.

Martin got his hummus and felt a little bit afraid. Nobody had really trusted him with stuff like this when he was a kid. He just felt that he would mess it up somehow. He knew that was probably the anxiety talking but it’s very easy to mess up a distraction. Maybe Martin wasn’t distracting enough so he might mess it all up.

He also felt afraid to do anything that would make Jon angry. They already had a rocky relationship considering everything that’s happened between them. Martin thinks about all of the things he’s done to make Jon hate him. Whether it’s spacing out or being late or making out with him, he just can’t seem to do anything right. Martin decided it was best to keep working to avoid succumbing to his thoughts any further.

An hour or so of working passed when Martin felt his pocket rumble. He takes his phone from his pocket and checks it. There’s a text from Tim that just reads “ready when you are”. He took that as a sign that it was time for Martin to attempt distracting Jon.

Martin walked down the hallway to Jon’s office. He took a deep breath of preparation before opening Jon’s office door.

“Jon! Jon, come quick! I need your help with something” Martin shouted as he erupted into the room.

Jon was clearly startled but wasted no time in getting up to help him.

“What is it? What happened?” Jon impatiently asked while getting out of his seat and rushing out of the office to follow Martin.

“Come quick, it’s in my office. I think” Martin rushed towards his office with Jon quick behind him.

“It? Is something in there?” Jon asks, both extremely confused and concerned for whatever could be waiting inside.

Martin opens the door to his office to reveal his tidy and clean office. No evil monsters waiting inside to kill anyone. Just a clean and pleasant smelling office with some papers scattered on his desk.

“There’s nothing here…” Jon noticed.

“That’s because I can’t find my contact.” Martin said on the spot.

“Your contact?” Jon repeated.

“Yes, my contact that I need in order to work or else I can’t see or read” Martin went on.

“Couldn’t you have gotten Tim or Sasha to help you instead?” Jon asked, very underwhelmed.

“They’re in the bathroom” Martin made up.

“Both of them?” Jon tried understanding.

“That’s what I was thinking, real suspicious, huh? But yeah, both of them.” Martin continued.

“Right, I should really get back to work then…” Jon said, realizing that the situation wasn’t important at all.

“But my contact! I need it to work,” Martin stressed, really hoping Jon wouldn’t leave yet.

“Fine, but I don’t have all day, you know.” Jon said as he got onto the floor, searching for a contact lens that he would never find.

Martin felt another buzz in his pocket. He checked his phone again and saw another text from Tim that read “You can bring him back once you’re done smooching or whatever”.

“Oh, wait. I just found it right here actually” Martin made a motion pretending to put a contact into his eye. “Good thing that didn’t take too long, huh?”

“Right, now, if you’ll excuse me, I should really go back to recording statements.” Jon excused himself.

“Wait, I’ll take you down there. Gotta make sure this thing really works after being on the ground” 

Martin walked Jon down the hallway, looking very suspicious but Jon figured his weirdness would be over soon once he started working again. Martin was having more second thoughts about pranking Jon. He didn’t deserve to have a bucket of water dumped on him. Buckets were big and heavy anyway, Jon couldn’t take one of those filled with water over his head.

They got to the end of the hall where Jon’s office was and Sasha and Tim were waiting nearby to see if it’ll work. However, Martin knew what he had to do.

“Oh, please. Allow me.”

“I mean, it’s my office, but-”

Martin reached for the door and pushed it open. Martin felt his hair dampen and then heard something loud and metallic collide with the top of his head. The last thing he saw before his vision went completely black was Jon looking at him, confused at his behavior the last few minutes. He felt himself begin to collapse just before he felt nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the ending, huh? Tbh, this chapter went sorta in it's own direction once I started typing but it was less boring than my other ideas despite it not being romance heavy at all. Finale coming up in a few days or so!


	8. Chapter 8

Martin woke up in a room he didn’t recognize. The walls were white and bland, There was a painting of something on the wall but he was too disoriented to pay it much attention. He looks down and sees that he’s in a hospital bed. He suddenly remembers what happened at work and assumed something backfired.

Martin looks to his left to see Jon in a chair scrolling through his phone. When Martin turns his head to face him, Jon looks up and immediately rushes towards Martin.

“Martin! You’re awake! I was so worried about you!” Jon exclaimed.

“Um, yeah. Why? How long was I out?” Martin asked.

“Only like an hour or two. Tim and Sasha told me everything. We took you here immediately but I’m so glad you’re safe!” Jon celebrated.

“Thank god, you had me worried it had been days or something. Speaking of Tim and Sasha, where are they?” Martin questioned.

“Just back in the waiting room, they didn’t want too many people here when you woke up. But never mind that, how are you feeling?” Jon asked impatiently.

“I’m fine. My head hurts and I’m a little dizzy but it’s fine.” Martin answered.

“Right, about that…” Jon looked like he had something important to say. “So the nurse said you just have a concussion and you’ll be fine but she wants you to stay with one of us for the next week or so. Or at least not on your own but I don’t think you live with anyone so...”

“A week? I suppose I can crash with my mom or something.” Martin thought out loud.

“Well, I was thinking you could stay at my place if you want? I really wouldn’t mind taking a day off to care for you.” Jon offered.

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time or anything, it’s ok” Martin replied. He secretly sort of wanted to get closer to Jon but more than that, he didn’t want to be a bother.

“I obviously won’t force you or anything but I really wouldn’t mind it at all. I feel responsible for what happened. The least I could do is help you recover.” Jon admitted.

“Well, if you insist” Martin agreed with a faint smile on his face. He didn’t want to admit it but he was somewhat excited to get to crash with Jon. He knew it was ridiculous but he kind of wanted the intimacy of being cared for. Not that Jon was the most compassionate soul alive but nobody had really cared for him in… well a long time. Martin couldn’t really remember the last time someone had truly cared about his well being.

They stepped out into the waiting room and were met by Tim and Sasha. Tim ran up to him and hugged him while Sasha watched, clearly apologetic for what they did.

“Martin, you’re okay!!” Tim pointed out, grateful that Martin hadn’t died.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m still alive and everything, don’t worry.” Martin tried brushing it off. He didn’t want them to feel too horrible and he was sure guilt was eating them alive, even if Tim wouldn’t show it.

“We’re really sorry! We didn’t think it would be that heavy and we’re sorry!” Sasha apologized.

“It’s fine, really. Look, I’m still here and everything.” Martin said, hoping that was some reassurance.

“That reminds me.” Jon chimed in. “Martin, I think you should decide whether or not I should fire them. I’d do it myself but I figured you should have a say as the victim.”

Sasha and Tim instantly tensed up. Obviously, neither of them wanted to lose their job but they understood that they probably should.

“What? That’s a lot to put on someone but no, please don’t. They didn’t mean any harm out of it.” Martin answered, shocked to be put on the spot like that.

“Are you sure? They did this to you” Jon pushed.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Like I said, they didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Just your dignity at most.” Martin confirmed.

“Very funny.” Jon said before turning to Tim and Sasha and continuing his sentence. “Anyway, you heard Martin. You two get to stay.”

“Thanks for being a bro, buddy!” Tim excitedly whispered while holding up fist, expectantly. Martin bumped his fist back.Tim made a little explosion motion with his hand, wiggling his fingers as they departed.

Now it was Sasha’s turn to hug Martin. “I’m so sorry, I swear we won’t do anything like that again if it could hurt you!” Sasha paused for a second before continuing “Or if it could hurt Jon and you swoop in like a knight in shining armor without any actual armor”

The four of them left the hospital and into their respective vehicles. Jon and Martin were in one car, headed for Jon’s house while Tim and Sasha went in one car, presumably to their place. They decided that the day was eventful enough for them to take the rest of the day off.

“So, how are you feeling now?” Jon asked while driving, trying to make conversation.

“It could be worse. My head is splitting but I might just be bruising. Aside from that, fine. Tired and dizzy but that’s normal” Martin explained.

“Have you ever had a concussion before?” Jon asked.

“No, I don’t have many bucket related encounters, honestly.” Martin joked for a second before giving a serious answer. “But no, I’ve never played sports or been big on dumb things that could hurt you. Not that you only get concussions from dumb things but, well you get it.” Martin rambled on for a moment.

“I’ll have you know I get all of my concussions from smart and sophisticated things.” Jon joked in a tone that seemed unclear if he was joking or not.

“What about you? Have you ever had a concussion before?” Martin asked curiously.

“A couple actually, all from when I was a kid though. I liked to explore a lot, which included climbing trees and not looking where I was climbing.” Jon laughed at his childishness back then. 

He knew he wasn’t much different now though. He was still a very curious person who enjoyed exploring the unknown, even if it would hurt him a little. Or a lot, to be honest. One wouldn’t be able to tell by just looking at him but he was a very reckless person. He didn’t put much thought into his actions, he just needed to see and explore, just like he would as a child.

They arrived at Jon’s house. Jon offered his arm to Martin to grab onto, knowing that Martin said he was dizzy. Martin took him up on the offer and used his arm to keep balance. Jon showed him around the house. It wasn’t a large house or anything but big enough to keep them out of each other’s hair. 

They arrived into the bedroom. 

“This is where you’ll be sleeping.” Jon announced.

“I’ll be sleeping in the bed? Like together?” Martin asked, shocked Jon would be open to that. Martin walked over and sat on the side of the bed.

“Well, I was going to just sleep on the couch, actually.” Jon admitted. He went over and sat on the bed, right next to Martin.

“Oh, well I don’t want to keep you from your bed. I could just sleep on the couch.” Martin offered.

“No, the couch isn’t comfortable enough, especially if you’re still recovering” Jon exclaimed.

“Like I said, you at least deserve your bed. Maybe we could share?” Martin suggested.

“I don’t want to make anything awkward.” Jon said bashfully.

“Jon. I’m staying in the house of my boss, whom I’ve made out with drunk at work, because I took a wet bucket for him over the head. We’re beyond awkward right now. Besides, I don’t really mind sharing if you’re down.” Martin replied.

“Fine. But I get the side closest to the door.” Jon took him up on the offer. Partially because he really didn’t want to give up his bed but also because he did want to cuddle, just a little bit.

“But I am curious,” Martin paused, knowing that what he was about to ask could change the next week entirely. “This is probably silly but why did you kiss me? Back in the archives, I mean”

“Well, we were drunk, so obviously that. But I don’t know. It felt right at the time, I guess.” Jon answered, with a quiet tone in his voice.

“Do you still feel like it was right?” Martin asked, honestly surprised that he asked a question like that.

“I… I don’t know. Obviously that was stupid but… I just don’t know. I can’t bring myself to hate it.” Jon’s face grew hot with embarrassment. He didn’t think he’d ever come clean about his feelings, especially not like this, but here he was.

“Well… Do you want to try it again? We’re sober now so there’s no drunken fog over us” Martin respectfully suggested.

There was a short pause between them. Jon was still deciding if he was really willing to discover his real feelings. He decided he was. 

Jon reached over and kissed Martin. His lips were just as soft as he had remembered. Although their first kiss together was only a few weeks ago, it felt like years had passed since then. Jon clenched Martin’s sweater with one hand while his other hand was loosely wrapped around Martin’s neck. Martin wrapped his arms around Jon’s waist. They kissed for a short while longer. Their bodies intertwined themselves, just embracing each other as much as they could. That is until Jon pulled away for a moment.

“I missed you so much.” Jon said, his voice was tender and full of love. Jon burrowed his head in the crook of Martin’s neck as he said this.

“Yeah? I missed you too.” Martin replied. He felt warm inside while kissing Jon and him cuddling into him. He just wanted that feeling to last an eternity. Or at least as long as he was alive.

Jon pulled Martin back in for another session. Martin was happy to oblige. Jon wrapped his arms around Martin’s head, just kissing him as deeply as he could manage. Martin still had his arms wrapped around Jon’s waist from earlier, matching Jon’s rhythm.

Time passed. Jon and Martin had a normal domestic evening. They ate dinner together and talked for hours about anything that came to mind. Eventually, the moon rose and they were both getting pretty tired.

They both hopped into bed and cuddled each other with their hands entangled. Jon found himself becoming increasingly nervous and unsure if he and Martin are on the same page about their night.

“Um, Martin?” Jon gulped.

“Yeah?” Martin replied, picking up on Jon’s anxiety.

“So… you know I’m ace, right?” Jon asked, seemingly very afraid.

“Yeah, why?” Martin asked.

“Well, I just didn’t want you to have any expectations for tonight is all.” Jon continued.

“That’s cool. I just wanted to cuddle anyway. You’re fine with cuddling, right?” Martin asked.

“Yeah, of course. I just wasn’t sure you remembered.” Jon said, relieved that he took it well.

“Of course, it’s just another part of you. I didn’t forget.” Martin said sleepily.

Jon smiled to himself. He felt reassured knowing Martin wasn’t expecting sex from him. He knew that Martin wasn’t the type of person to only care about sex but just knowing for sure that he didn’t mind made Jon feel much better.

The next morning, Martin woke up with a much worse headache than he did the day before. He noticed that Jon wasn’t in the bed with him. He turned over to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand that told him that it was about 8 AM. Curious as to why Jon wasn’t with him, Martin got out of bed.

Martin opened the bedroom door to see that Jon was standing in the kitchen. He seemed to be focused on something on the stove. Martin couldn't tell what but he seemed to be cooking something. After a second or two, Jon looked up and noticed Martin.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Jon greeted a half awake Martin. 

“Good morning. What are you up to?” Martin asked.

“Oh, I just thought I’d make breakfast. You like pancakes, don’t you?” Jon said, really hoping that Martin liked pancakes so he wouldn’t have to eat them by himself.

“Yeah, who doesn’t? But you’re making breakfast?” Martin seemed surprised that Jon would make pancakes.

“Well, yeah. I don’t want you to go hungry.” Jon answered as if it was silly for Martin to seem surprised.

“That’s very sweet, thank you. Anyway, do you have any painkillers laying around? My head still hurts.” Martin asked offhandedly.

“Of course, I picked up a bunch yesterday.” Jon answered. He opened the bottle and grabbed a couple for Martin and poured him a glass of water.

“Thanks. I don’t really need water to swallow pills though.” Martin replied.

“Just wanted to be sure. Either way, you need to stay hydrated.” Jon responded, feeling silly that he didn’t ask first.

Martin smiled as he took a couple of pills, just thinking about Jon. He never would’ve thought that Jon would be so nice towards him. Jon just reminded him of a very loving grandma who completely spoils her grandchildren. The type of grandma who makes sure to fatten her grandchildren whenever they visit her. Martin would’ve never thought that Jon, his incredibly serious and stuck up boss, had such a loving and caring side to him. 

They ate their pancakes together. They weren’t the highest quality pancakes out there but Martin was more than grateful to be eating them. 

“So you’re not going to work today?” Martin asked over the table.

“Nope, Elias said I could take the entire next week off.” Jon answered.

“Elias is willing to pay you an entire week? I didn’t know you had that many vacation days.” Martin asked, shocked that Elias was going to allow that.

“I don’t actually. I just told him what happened to you and he just… said it was ok.” Jon answered before downing a bite of his pancakes.

“Holy shit. Was he alright?” 

“Well, it wasn’t quite that simple. He somehow found out about us kissing in the archives and said something weird about ‘watching how it all plays out’ which was incredibly weird.” Jon explained, doing his best Elias impression.

“How did he find out? I didn’t know there were any cameras in the archives.” Martin asked before taking another bite.

“That’s the weird part. There are none. But he also found out about the basement vodka somehow and I really doubt there were cameras down there.”

“God that’s weird.” Martin got chills down his spine thinking about it.

“I know! Now do you believe me that he’s evil?” Jon said, hoping someone else was on his side.

“I don’t know about evil. He did give you an entire week off.” Martin tried to rationalize. Evil is a very strong word and Martin wasn’t the type of person to call anyone evil just because he didn’t like them. “But definitely weird. Besides, I still haven’t seen his ass tattoo.” Martin continued, joking at the end.

“Damn, if I prove Elias has a weed leaf tattoo on his ass, will you believe that he’s evil?” Jon asked while holding back a chuckle.

“Maybe. It depends how evil it looks on him.” Martin joked. They both laughed and finished their pancakes.

They both joked and laughed for a while about Elias and the evil tattoo he may or may not actually have. They pondered the possibility of him having any tattoos at all. He didn’t seem like the type to get any tattoos but Jon knows what he heard Elias say over the phone. 

Eventually, they found themselves getting bored and decided to watch tv. Jon and Martin spooned on the couch while watching some shitty reality tv. They shared their opinions on the people and their decisions during commercial breaks. They continued cuddling all day on the couch. They were both just so blissful being wrapped up in each other that they never wanted it to end.

Neither of them have felt this close to another person in so long. What they felt wasn’t so much clawing desperation anymore as it was just happiness and butterflies around each other. They still wanted more of each other but now that they had each other, they were each just so grateful to be in the other’s presence.

If you told Martin a month ago that he would find love soon with someone he already knows, he wouldn’t believe you. He’d insist that his chances of ever finding love were just too low. He didn’t stand a chance with someone he already knows, especially not with Jon. But that’s just where he’s wrong. He found himself loving Jon more and more by the day for as long as they could still love each other.

The exact same thing could be said about Jon. He found himself too preoccupied by work to even consider romance. That’s not to say he never wanted to love anyone but it just seemed too out of the picture for Jon. Yet here he was, realizing he was falling in love with his incompetent assistant. Jon wasn’t even upset about it anymore. 

At first, Jon couldn’t handle the thought that he liked Martin of all people. He beat himself up over his feelings for several weeks. If they didn’t have an excuse for Martin to stay at Jon’s house, he would still hate his feelings for just existing. But now he just accepted his feelings and they felt normal. Jon felt whole and loved around Martin, which wasn’t a feeling he’s felt in several years.

“Can I tell you something that’s probably crazy?” Jon asked with a lump in his throat.

“Yeah, what is it?” Martin answered.

“I think I love you.”

“Yeah? Would it be crazy if I said I think I love you too?”

“Not any crazier than when I said it.”

“Good. Because I think I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally over! Thank you to everyone who actually read the whole thing! I know it was definitely weird at parts but I appreciate everyone who made it through it all. Like I said in one of the other end notes, this was my first fic since middle school so I know some of it was probably painful to read through. But yeah, thank you so much if you liked it! Or if you hated it, I appreciate your dedication to make it this far anyway.


End file.
